Building demolitions and renovations are a common occurrence in every town and city throughout the state. Many of these buildings contain asbestos. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has received numerous complaints regarding improper asbestos removal. The department believes this indicates that some municipal and county building officials are not aware of the current requirements that must be followed when dealing with buildings that are scheduled for demolition or renovation. All public and commercial building owners must comply with the latest requirements of the Federal National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) when planning and performing demolition or renovation work. South Dakota has adopted the emission standards for asbestos from the Federal NESHAP. Residential buildings with four or fewer dwellings are excluded from the requirements. Some of these requirements are:
Inspection
Prior to the commencement of any demolition or renovation, the affected facility, or part of the facility where the work is to take place, must be thoroughly inspected by a qualified inspector for the presence of asbestos. The types and quantities of asbestos-containing materials should be determined at this time. In addition, SDCL 34-44-8 requires that any building owner/operator who solicits bids shall, as part of the bid document, specify whether the project does or does not involve asbestos-containing materials including type, location, and quantity if asbestos is present.
Notification
Notification requirements vary with the amount of regulated asbestos and type of activity taking place. All demolitions, including those where no asbestos is present, require a notification to be sent to DENR. For renovations, notifications are required when the amount of regulated asbestos material that will be disturbed is at least 260 linear feet on pipes, or at least 160 square feet on other facility components, or when the total amount is at least 35 cubic feet. All required notifications should be postmarked ten working days prior to the start of any activity that may disturb asbestos.
Emissions Control
All regulated asbestos-containing materials must be removed from a facility being demolished or renovated before any activities are carried out that would break up, dislodge, or similarly disturb the materials or preclude access to the materials for subsequent removal. It should be noted that many other state, NESHAP, OSHA and Department of Transportation requirements may apply when dealing with the actual removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials.
For further information and assistance, or to acquire notification forms, please contact City Planning and Building Services or the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Waste Management Program, (605) 773-3153 or 1-800-438-3367.
